cotton wedding
by la Domkova
Summary: it's Tom and Ginny's first anniversary: what will he do? will he forget it as any husband does or he'll surprise his sweet wife? read and find out. that's my answer to the "First Anniversary Challenge"


**COTTON WEDDING**

Stretching, Virginia woke up with a smile on her lips; that was a very special day for Tom and her: exactly a year before they had realized their dream of love. The young woman turned stretching an arm toward the other half of the bed, finding it cold and empty: Tom had left about ten days before for a work trip, and Virginia had hoped that he'd be back before their anniversary. Evidently he'll be by this evening. She thought sighing sadly. Somebody knocked and Meg appeared with the breakfast tray.

" Happy Anniversary, Mistress! To celebrate, I have prepared your favored breakfast."

The girl exclaimed putting the tray down: there was gooseberry tart, french toasts with strawberry jam, crêpes suzette and a nice cup of tea, plus a small bunch of flowers. Virginia smelled happily the aromas of the food, forgetting her husband's absence for an instant. After breakfast, Virginia went in garden and took care of the orchids in the greenhouse; or at least she tried: after less than an hour the visitors' procession began. The first to come were Percy and Penelope, followed by Fred and George; while they were there, an owl delivered a marvelous bunch of flowers: Virginia hoped that it was from Tom, instead it was from Narcissa Malfoy.

" I wonder how Tom could work with such people..."

Had mumbled Virginia after have read the card. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley came for lunch, carrying a bottle of Porto and a beautiful photo frame. In the afternoon came Ron and Hermione, Harry and Cho, Snape and his wife Hipazia and other collaborators of Tom; in the meantime Virginia had gotten other four bunches of flowers and a papyrus from Bill, but from Tom not even a the littlest card. I can't believe it: he has forgot it! There were guests even at dinner, which passed in joy amid memories and funny anecdotes. The procession had end toward ten and half in the night, when Tom's cousin, Isabella, and her fiancé left: Virginia sighed tiredly and went in bedroom; there she sat cross-legged on the bed and began to skim through her marriage's photo album, an eight inches thick volume bound in green dragon hide with silvery "T" and "V" entwined on the cover. Virginia watched the photos, thinking again to how much Tom and she had been happy that day; and today, after one year exact, he had forgotten when people that she barely knew had come for her! Virginia closed the album and set it on the bedside table, she then embraced the pillow and she began to cry: Tom had forgotten their anniversary, their /first/ anniversary.

Virginia woke up suddenly, as if she has had a nightmare: somebody was sitting on the bed.

" Sorry Love, I didn't mean to wake you up."

Tom hissed buttoning his pajamas' jacket; Virginia looked at him angrily, and then exclaimed:

" How could you have forgotten it?!"

" Forget what?"

" Ours first anniversary, Tom! Everybody has come to visit me, even Snape!"

" Virginia, you know what I think about these celebrations of the passing time like birthdays anniversaries et similia."

" You did not even remember to send me a minuscule piece of parchment with written 'Happy Anniversary'!!"

Tom shook his head sighing and he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

" Virginia, Virginia, I haven't forgotten it, simply it was the first, not the twenty fifth, not the fiftieth or the sixtieth, but the first: the cotton wedding is not important."

At that point Virginia saw red and began to throw against her husband any object at hand-reach, among which the eight inches thick photo album bound in green dragon hide that hit the poor Tom straight in the face. After have tampon his bloody nose with some ice, Tom picked up the pillow and the sheet that his wife had thrown him, and went in the living room stopping in front of his favored easy chair.

" Nagini?" Tom hissed to the sleeping pet," Nagì, wake up!"

The snake opened an eye, stared at her master with his glassy look and yawned.

" What'sss up? I wass dreaming to be eating a fat rat...."

" Nagì, move over: tonight well sleep together in memory of the old times."

" Ufufufuf! Your sssweet little wife had kicked you out the nuptial bed? I had warned you: the Weasssley hasss a temper!"

Nagini laughed scornfully rolling on the easy chair; Tom looked at her annoyed and hissed:

" Nagì shut that mouth of your up and make room for me!"

END

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This is my answer to the "First Anniversary Challenge": I hope that you like and vote it.

See ya!

Herentas Meridiae, Queen of Evilness


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